Benefits on the Go Articles

As you prepare for the new school year, the Office of Benefits Services has good news. The cost for long-term disability (LTD) insurance will be cheaper this school year. Most FCPS employees have long-term disability insurance, which provides income replacement should you become disabled for longer than six months. Periodically, the contract for the LTD benefit is bid out, and this summer the contract with Liberty Mutual was renewed. As a result, employee premium deductions have been reduced by two cents per one hundred dollars of covered income (from $.25/$100 of your salary to $.23/$100 of your salary).

Although the cost of this insurance is cheaper, the benefit coverage remains the same, i.e., two-thirds of your salary is replaced if your medical situation warrants. While we hope you never need to use this benefit, it is good to know this salary protection is there. For more LTD plan information visit www.fcps.edu/DHR/employees/benefits.

Discounts on Microsoft Software Available to FCPS Staff Members and Students

Fairfax County Public Schools is partnering with Microsoft to offer its students and staff members discounted Microsoft software. The Microsoft Student Select program offers Microsoft Office © and Microsoft Windows XP © Upgrade software applications at special education discounts. Students and staff members purchase software directly online through Journey Education Marketing, a leading provider of educational software distribution services. A student or staff member simply visits the Journey Education Marketing e-commerce web site, enters his or her student or employee identification number (for verification of student or employment status), and then may purchase one copy of each software title available through the program.

Product discounts available through this program equate to savings of over 70 percent when compared to the same titles that are commercially available. For example, Microsoft Office Professional has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $499. Under the Student Select program, the same product is available for $59.98.

This program will enable students and staff members to use, at home, the same latest Microsoft software packages that they use in FCPS.

The Technology@Home program enables FCPS to work with its technology vendors and partners such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard to provide discounted technology products for home use. These programs will provide students, parents, and staff members the ability to take full advantage of the latest available technology and to access student and employee resources and information available online through FCPS.

For more information, go to http://www.fcps.edu/DIT/techathome/index.html.